Tape carrier package and liquid crystal display device

ABSTRACT

A tape carrier package comprising a tape carrier, a semiconductor chip, and an anisotropic conductive resin. The tape carrier includes an insulating film having a through-hole, a conductor pattern formed on the insulating film including leads projecting into the through-hole, and inner wiring electrically connected to a part of the conductor pattern. The semiconductor chip is provided in the through-hole and has connecting bumps electrically connected to end portions of the leads. The anisotropic conductive resin are provided so as to cover at least a portion of the semiconductor chip including a junction of the connecting bumps and the end portions of the leads.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/847,808, filed Apr. 25,1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,978 the entire content of which is herebyincorporated by reference in this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tape carrier package which isattached to the periphery of a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystaldisplay device and accommodates a semiconductor chip for driving theliquid crystal panel on a tape carrier, and a liquid crystal displaydevice provided with tape carrier packages.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional liquid crystal display devices, as shown in FIG. 10, havebeen known. This liquid crystal display device 150 is mainly composed ofa liquid crystal panel 100, a plurality of tape carrier packages (TCPs)117, and a common printed wiring board 118. The liquid crystal panel 100is mainly composed of an upper glass substrate 110, a lower glasssubstrate 111, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) interposedtherebetween. Reference numeral 122 denotes a flexible substrate.

In this liquid crystal display device, as shown in FIG. 13, thesemiconductor chips 104 for driving the liquid crystal are mounted ontothe liquid crystal panel 100 as follows: a tape carrier withsemiconductor chips 104 placed thereon is cut to a predetermined size toobtain TCPs 117; each TCP 117 is supplied onto the liquid crystal panel100; and a conductive pattern portion (e.g., outer leads) of each TCP117 and electrodes on the lower glass substrate 111 of the liquidcrystal panel 100 are crimped onto each other by heating with ananisotropic conductive film 140 interposed therebetween, whereby eachTCP 117 is mounted onto the liquid crystal panel 100.

As shown in FIG. 13, outer leads (not shown) of the TCPs 117 areconnected to wiring (not shown) of the printed wiring board 118. Asignal for driving the liquid crystal is supplied to each semiconductorchip 104 through each TCP 117 from the printed wiring board 118. Theprinted wiring board 118 also has a region 118 a for accommodatingcomponents, such as a chip capacitor, which cannot be incorporated intothe circuit of each semiconductor chip 104.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of another liquid crystal displaydevice 160 with a TCP 117′ attached to the periphery of a liquid crystalpanel 100. The TCP 117′ is attached to the liquid crystal panel 100 asfollows: an output terminal 117 a of the TCP 117′ for driving the liquidcrystal is connected to the liquid crystal panel 100 via an anisotropicconductive film 140; thereafter, an input signal terminal 117 b of theTCP 117′ is connected to a printed wiring board 118 by soldering or viaan anisotropic conductive film 140′; and the TCP 117′ is bent along thecontour of a module, whereby the attachment of the TCP 117′ to theliquid crystal panel 100 is complete. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 119denotes a backlight unit; 120 denotes a polarizing plate; and 116denotes a bezel.

It is also known that a semiconductor chip is attached to a liquidcrystal panel by a Chip-On-Glass (COG) method. According to the COGmethod, as shown in FIG. 12, a semiconductor chip 104 having metal bumps104 a is directly connected to wiring (not shown) on a lower glasssubstrate 111 by face down bonding. Regarding the COG method, thefollowing two processes are known.

Firstly, a semiconductor chip having solder bumps is directly attachedto a glass substrate of a liquid crystal panel, and then, a gap betweenthe semiconductor chip and the glass substrate is filled with a resin(Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 4-105331). Secondly, asemiconductor chip having gold bumps is connected to wiring on a glasssubstrate of a liquid crystal panel via an anisotropic conductive film121 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 4-76929, 4-71246, and4-317347). In the case of the second process, a gap between thesemiconductor chip and the glass substrate is filled with a resin(binder) of the anisotropic conductive film. According to the secondprocess, repairs are easily conducted, and it is not required to fill aresin in the gap between the semiconductor chip and the glass substrate;therefore, this process has been mainly used.

In recent years, there is a tendency to secure a larger display areawith the same module size by decreasing the width of the portion of aliquid crystal display device that extends off a glass substrate.Furthermore, there is a great demand for a reduction in costs for liquidcrystal panels in light of the generally, higher production costscompared with those of CRTs (Cathode Ray Tube).

Under such circumstances, in order to decrease the width of a TCP whichextends off a glass substrate, the following two methods using TCPs havebeen proposed: (1) A slim-type TCP 117 with a narrow semiconductor chipformed thereon is used, as shown in FIG. 13 (Japanese Design PatentApplication No. 2-40145); and (2) as described with reference to FIG.11, a portion of a TCP 117′ which extends off a glass substrate is bent(Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2-132418).

According to the method shown in FIG. 13, a material used for a TCPitself is also reduced, which contributes to a reduction in costs.However, it is necessary to decrease the width of a printed wiring boardin accordance with the width of a portion of a TCP which extends off aglass substrate. When the width of the printed wiring board is decreasedwithout changing the wiring density, it is necessary to increase thenumber of layers of the printed wiring board. This results in anincrease in costs. In addition, since the width of a connected portionof the printed wiring board and the TCP is very small, it is difficultto mount the TCP onto the printed wiring board. This may adverselyinfluence the yield and reliability of the semiconductor device. Theseproblems become serious in circumstances where liquid crystal panels areincreasing in size.

As shown in FIG. 13, even when the above-mentioned slim-type TCP isused, a portion with a width of about 5 mm necessarily extends off theglass substrate. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view (the bezel 116 isomitted) of a liquid crystal panel constructed as illustrated in FIG.13.

In the case where the bent TCP 117′ is used, as shown in FIG. 11, theprinted wiring board 118 may be provided either on the upper surface oron the lower surface of the lower glass substrate 111. In the case wherethe printed wiring board is provided on the lower surface of the lowerglass substrate 111, the wiring of the liquid crystal panel 100 can beconnected to the printed wiring board 118 via the bent TCP 117′.Therefore, the printed wiring board 118 need not extend beyond theliquid crystal panel 100. Accordingly, the problem associated with largesize devices can be solved to some degree. In the case shown in FIG. 11,the width of a portion of the TCP which extends off the glass substrateis only 2 mm (which is much smaller than that in the case as shown inFIG. 13).

However, in the case of using the bent TCP 117′, there are the followingproblems: the length of the TCP 117′ must be larger by the bent portionthereof, so that the costs for a tape carrier portion of the TCP 117′are higher; it is easier to connect the printed wiring board 118 to theTCP 117′ compared with the case where the above-mentioned slim-type TCP117 is used, however, the TCP 117′ must be bent to a predetermined shapeafter the TCP 117′ is connected to the printed wiring board 118, so thatthe TCP 117′ is fixed to the printed wiring board 118, so that the TCP117′ is fixed to the printed wiring board 118; and the thickness of aliquid crystal module becomes larger by the total thickness of theprinted wiring board 118 and the TCP 117′ (i.e., about 2.5 mm to 3 mm),compared with the case where the slim-type TCP 117, as shown in FIG. 13,is used.

According to the COG method, a semiconductor chip is directly mountedonto a glass substrate, so that the costs for packaging are less,compared with the case where a TCP is used. Furthermore, when an inputsignal is adapted to be supplied to a semiconductor chip via wiring on aglass substrate, a printed wiring board is not required. This results ina decrease in costs. Still furthermore, according to the COG method, asemiconductor chip is merely mounted onto a glass substrate, so that thecosts for mounting can be reduced.

However, the above-mentioned advantages cannot be obtained fromcurrently used large liquid crystal panels with a 10-inch or morediagonal screen for the following reason: the sheet resistance of thewiring material on a glass substrate is high; therefore, in the casewhere an input signal is supplied to a semiconductor chip via wiring onthe glass substrate, the wiring resistance cannot be minimized; and as aresult, voltage drops in the wiring, which makes it impossible totransmit a normal signal to a semiconductor chip. In relatively smallliquid crystal panels with about a 3- to 6-inch diagonal screen, thewiring length is small, so that the material sheet resistance isnegligible. Accordingly, the above-mentioned advantages can be obtainedonly from relatively small liquid crystal panels.

However, when the above-mentioned structure is applied to small liquidcrystal panels using the COG method, there are the following problems:since it is required to prescribe the width of wiring on a glasssubstrate to be large, the area of the glass substrate for mountingsemiconductor chips is required to be made larger, compared with thecase where TCPs are used; this requires the size of the glass substrateto be increased. In this case, the number of liquid crystal panelsobtained from mother glass decreases. Thus, even in the case where theCOG method is used for small liquid crystal panels, cost is not likelyto decrease as far as an entire module is concerned.

In order to solve the problem associate with the enlargement of an areaof a glass substrate for mounting semiconductor chips, as shown in FIG.12, it is possible to adopt a method for directly connecting a flexiblesubstrate 122 to the wiring on a glass substrate in the vicinity of aportion for mounting each semiconductor chip 104 and transmitting aninput signal from the flexible substrate 122. (Japanese Laid-OpenUtility Model Publication No. 4-77134). According to this method, aprinted wiring board is not required, however, the flexible substrate122 is used. Therefore, advantages in terms of lower production costsand fewer steps cannot be obtained.

Furthermore, according to the COG method, bare chips are supplied onto aglass substrate. The bare chips are generally tested in a wafer state,and they are not tested after being divided into individual chips bydicing. Thus, it is difficult to judge whether or not a particularsemiconductor chip to be mounted onto a glass substrate is satisfactory.That is, a semiconductor chip to be mounted is not a “known good die.”Because of this, in the case of a large liquid crystal panel in which anumber of semiconductor chips are mounted, there are more chances offailures and repairs, resulting in an increase in costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A tape carrier package of the present invention includes: a tape carrierincluding an insulating film having a through-hole, a conductor patternformed on the insulating film including leads projecting into thethrough-hole, and inner wiring electrically connected to a part of theconductor pattern; a semiconductor chip provided in the through-hole,having connecting bumps electrically connected to end portions of theleads; and an anisotropic conductive resin provided so as to cover atleast a portion of the semiconductor chip including a junction of theconnecting bumps and the end portions of the leads.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the anisotropic conductiveresin is made of an insulating resin containing fine particles havingconductivity, and the insulating resin is selected from the groupconsisting of a thermosetting resin, a UV-curing resin, and athermoplastic resin.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor chipincludes intra-chip wiring and at least one bump for the intra-chipwiring.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic devicedifferent from a semiconductor chip is mounted on the inner wiringprovided on the tape carrier.

The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprising: aliquid crystal panel including a pair of glass substrates and connectingwiring formed on at least one of the glass substrates; and at least twotape carrier packages mounted on a periphery of the liquid crystalpanel, wherein each tape carrier package comprises: a tape carrierincluding an insulating film having a through-hole, a conductor patternformed on the insulating film including leads projecting into thethrough-hole; a semiconductor chip provided in the through-hole, havingconnecting bumps electrically connected to end portions of the leads;and an anisotropic conductive resin provided so as to cover at least aportion of the semiconductor chip including a junction of the connectingbumps and the end portions of the leads, and the connecting bumps on thesemiconductor chip of the tape carrier package and the connecting wiringof the glass substrate are electrically connected via the anisotropicresin provided on the tape carrier packages, thereby signals can betransmitted/received between the semiconductor chips of the adjacenttape carrier packages.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the anisotropic conductiveresin is made of an insulating resin containing fine particles havingconductivity, and the connecting bumps of the semiconductor chip and theconnecting wiring of the glass substrate are electrically connected viathe fine particles having conductivity.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor chipincludes intra-chip wiring and at least one bump for the intra-chipwiring.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the tape carrier packagesare mounted on the liquid crystal panel so that the tape carrier has aportion projecting from the liquid crystal panel, the projecting portionbeing bent.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the tape carrier packagesare mounted on the liquid crystal panel so that the tape carrier has aportion projecting from the liquid crystal panel, at least a portion ofthe conductor pattern and the inner wiring which are formed on theprojecting portion of the tape carrier being exposed, and a metal leadsare provided so as to electrically connect the exposed portions of theadjacent tape carrier packages.

Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the advantages of(1) providing a tape carrier package in which a printed wiring boardwhich has been conventionally required can be omitted and the consequentfabrication step of mounting of a printed wiring board can be omitted;and (2) providing a liquid crystal display device provided with tapecarrier packages.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparentto those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the followingdetailed description with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of TCPs of Embodiment 1 according to the presentinvention arranged on a tape carrier before the tape carrier is cut intoindividual TCPs.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the TCP taken along a line 20-20′ inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3A shows a structure of another TCP according to the presentinvention; and

FIG. 3B shows a state where input terminals of the TCP are connected toa liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a liquid crystal displaydevice of Embodiment 2 according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a provisional connection between aTCP and a glass substrate in the device shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between a TCPand a glass substrate as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a wiring diagram showing an inner structure of a semiconductorchip used for the liquid crystal display device of Embodiment 2according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the calculation of wiring resistanceunder the condition that a TCP of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 9A is a plan view showing a state where a TCP is mounted on aliquid crystal display device of Embodiment 3 according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 9B-9B′ in FIG. 9A;and

FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 9C-9C′ in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional liquid crystaldisplay device using a bent TCP.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional liquid crystaldisplay device in which a semiconductor chip is mounted by the COGmethod.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional liquid crystaldisplay device shown in FIG. 10, using a slim-type TCP.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First, the function of the present invention will be described.

Leads provided in a TCP are not limited to inner leads to be connectedto a semiconductor chip and outer leads to be connected to a liquidcrystal panel. They include wiring to be connected to other components,e.g., intra-tape carrier wiring described later.

According to the present invention, the surface of a semiconductor chipincluding connecting bumps which is mounted on a TCP is covered with ananisotropic conductive resin in place of an ordinary resin, whereby thesurface of the semiconductor chip, the connecting bumps, and leads (inparticular, inner leads) are prevented from being damaged before the TCPis mounted onto a liquid crystal panel. The TCP is mounted onto theliquid crystal panel by face down bonding in such a manner that theanisotropic conductive resin faces the wiring on the liquid crystalpanel, whereby connecting bumps of the semiconductor chip areelectrically connected to the wiring on the liquid crystal panel throughthe end portions of the inner leads. The connecting bumps are mainlyelectrically connected to the inner leads on a tape carrier.

Thus, a signal input through the wiring on the liquid crystal panel issupplied to the semiconductor chip via the inner leads and theconnecting bumps. Then, the signal is transmitted through the wiring inthe semiconductor chip (hereinafter, referred to as “intra-chipwiring”), returns to the wiring on the liquid crystal panel via otherconnecting bumps and inner leads, and is supplied to the terminals of anadjacent TCP. This eliminates multi-layer wiring used in conventionalprinted wiring boards and enables an input signal to betransmitted/received with low wiring resistance without using anexternal substrate such as a flexible substrate and a printed wiringboard.

Because of the above-mentioned structure, the TCP can be subjected to anelectric diagnostic test through leads, which makes it easy to judgewhether or not the TCP mounted using the COG method is satisfactory.Furthermore, the TCP is merely mounted onto the liquid crystal panelwithout connecting input signal terminals. This allows substantialsimplification of the fabrication steps.

In the case of repairing the TCP in the liquid crystal display device ofthe present invention, the TCP is detached from the liquid crystal paneland only the liquid crystal panel is washed before another TCP isattached thereto. Therefore, time and effort associated with repairingthe device can be reduced by half, compared with conventional devices.

Furthermore, the portion of the TCP which extends off the liquid crystalpanel can be minimized (about 2 mm or less) by being bent when a bezelor the like is mounted. Since a printed wiring board is omitted, thethickness of the entire device is not increased even when theabove-mentioned portion of the TCP is bent.

Since a printed wiring board with a large coefficient of linearexpansion is not used, the reliability of the obtained device improvedwith respect to changes in temperature, compared with conventionaldevices. Furthermore, since movable components such as conventional TCPsand a printed wiring board are not used, a mechanical reliabilitycomparable to that obtained by using the COG method can be obtained withrespect to vibration or the like.

Hereinafter, preferable embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a plan view of TCPs 17 of Embodiment 1 arranged on a tapecarrier 31. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the TCP 17 taken along aline 20-20′ in FIG. 1.

Each TCP 17 has a structure in which a semiconductor chip 4 is providedon a long tape carrier 31. The semiconductor chip 4 is provided with acircuit portion of connecting bumps (not shown) made of gold or anyother conductive metal at any portion of its upper surface. Bumps 9 arearranged in two rows (an input terminal array 8 and an output terminalarray 7) on both sides of the semiconductor chip 4.

The tape carrier 31 includes a tape substrate 1 made of an insulatingfilm (thickness: 50 μm; Upilex produced by Ube Industries, Ltd.). Leads3 (conductor pattern) made of electrolytic copper foil (thickness 18 μm)or any other conductive metal are formed in a predetermined pattern onthe tape substrate 1 with an adhesive layer 2 interposed therebetween.Through-holes 1 a, which are device holes for mounting the semiconductorchips 4, are formed at predetermined intervals. End portions 3′ of innerleads of the leads 3,k which are obtained by patterning the copper foil,project into the through-holes 1 a.

As a material for the tape substrate 1, insulating films made of anotherpolyimide such as Apical (produced by Kaneka Corporation) and Kapton(produced by Toray-Du Pont Co., Ltd. and Du Pont Co., Ltd.) may be usedin place of the above-mentioned Upilex. Furthermore, insulating filmsmade of glass, epoxy, aramid, BT resin, polyethylene terephtharate,polyphenyl ether, etc. may be used. The leads 3 may be directly formedon the tape substrate 1 in a predetermined pattern without an adhesivelayer 2 interposed therebetween.

The leads 3 are provided with a conductive plating (thickness: 0.2 μm)made of tin, and the end portions 3′ of the inner leads of the leads 3are thermocompression-bonded (inner lead bonding) onto the bumps 9 onthe semiconductor chip 4. The leads 3 may be provided with a Ni/Auplating in place of tin plating.

As shown in FIG. 2, an anisotropic conductive resin 5 is provided so asto cover the connected portions between the inner leads of the leads (3a, 3 b) and the semiconductor chip 4. The periphery of the semiconductorchip 4 is sealed with the anisotropic conductive resin 5. As theanisotropic conductive resin 5, a thermosetting insulating resin havingan initial viscosity of 300 to 500 cps is used so that potting can beconducted. Conductive particles (fine particles having conductivity)which are made of plastic balls having a diameter of about 3 μm coatedwith gold are mixed in the anisotropic conductive resin 5. Theanisotropic conductive resin 5 is provided as follows: after inner leadbonding, potting of the anisotropic conductive resin 5 onto the surfaceof the semiconductor chip 4, where a junction between the connectingbumps 9 and the inner leads (3 a, 3 b) is provided, is conducted througha nozzle; and the anisotropic conductive resin 5 is provisionally curedat 70° C. for 20 minutes. The anisotropic conductive resin 5 is requiredto keep its function for 6 months after provisional curing.

The TCP 17 is subjected to an electronic diagnostic test using a testpad 6 provided on the TCP 17. In this way, the construction of the TCP17 is completed. In the case where electronic components 19 such as achip capacitor are mounted, they are mounted in a predetermined regionof the TCP 17 before the periphery of the semiconductor chip 4 is sealedwith the anisotropic conductive resin 5. The electronic components 19are mounted, for example, in a predetermined region on wiring 14 in thetape carrier 31 (hereinafter, referred to as “Intra-tape carrierwiring”, or inner wiring) formed as the leads 3 or in a predeterminedregion on the semiconductor chip 4. The semiconductor chip 4 may besealed before or after inner lead bonding.

After completion of the electric test, the test pad 6 is not required.Therefore, the test pad 6 is cut away along a cutting position indicatedby a broken line in FIG. 1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the leads 3a connected to the connecting bumps 9 of the output terminal array 7 arepositioned on the periphery of the TCP 17. The surface of a portion ofthe leads 3 b (including the intra-tape carrier wiring 14) exposed fromthe anisotropic conductive resin 5 is covered with a solder resist (notshown).

The TCP of Embodiment 1 is not limited to the above-mentioned structure.A TCP having a structure as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B may also be used.In the TCP 17 shown in FIG. 1, the input terminal array 8 (connectingbumps 9) is provided on one side of the semiconductor chip 4, and theend portions 3′ of the inner leads of the leads 3 are positioned on bothinner sides of the through-hole 1 a.

In a TCP 47 a shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, input terminal arrays 8′ areprovided on both sides of the anisotropic conductive resin 5. Terminalson one side are connected to those on the other side via the intra-chipwiring. As shown in FIG. 3A, leads (30 a, 30 b, 30 c) are provided inthree directions. Among them, the leads 30 a and 30 b are connected tothe input terminal arrays 8′ on the TCP 47 a formed in two directions.In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the outer leads of the leads 3 are shown. Theconnection of the TCP 47 a is conducted as follows: the leads 30 a onone side are exposed to the reverse surface of the TCP 47 a through aslit provided on the tape carrier, and a connecting portion provided onthe tape carrier, and a connecting portion provided so as to project onthe right side of the TCP 47 a, as shown in FIG. 3A, is inserted intothe slit (FIG. 3B). The connecting portion has a structure in which theleads 30 a projecting from the tape carrier are in contact with theleads 30 b in the slit portion of the adjacent TCP 47 a.

In the present embodiment, a heat-curable resin is used as an insulatingresin material for the anisotropic conductive resin. However, thepresent invention is not limited thereto, and a thermoplastic resin maybe used. In the case of using a thermoplastic resin, mounting can alsobe conducted by the same method as described above. Furthermore, aUV-curing resin or the like may be used in place of a thermosettingresin. In this case, mounting can be conducted in the same manner asdescribed above merely by altering a method for curing a resin andconditions thereof.

Embodiment 2

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a liquid crystal displaydevice 50 of Embodiment 2 according to the present invention. FIG. 5 isa perspective view showing a provisional connection between a TCP 17 anda glass substrate 11 in the device shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is across-sectional view showing the connection between a TCP 17 and a glasssubstrate 11 as shown in FIG. 5.

The liquid crystal display device 50 has a simple matrix type liquidcrystal panel 30, for example, with an 11.3-inch SVGA diagonal screen.TCPs 17 for driving the liquid crystal are provided on the periphery ofthe liquid crystal panel 30 (for example, 10 each on the right side andthe lower side). Each TCP has about 240 output signal lines and about 20input signal lines. The TCPs 17 are provided on the right and lowersides in FIG. 4. However, they may be provided on any side such as theupper side and the left side.

The liquid crystal display device 50 of the present embodiment isproduced as follows.

First, a tape carrier 31 having TCPs 17 as shown in FIG. 1 is cut to apredetermined shape along a cutting position (indicated by a brokenline) with a die or the like.

The TCPs 17 thus obtained are aligned at predetermined positions on alower glass substrate 11 and provisionally connected thereto. At thistime, terminal portions (i.e., outer leads) of intra-tape carrier wiring14 provided on each TCP 17 are arranged to correspond to wiring 12 onthe lower glass substrate 11, as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the TCPs 17are positioned. It is noted that all the TCPs 17 provided on theperiphery of the liquid crystal panel 30 are provisionally connected tothe lower glass substrate 11.

As shown in FIG. 6, after all the TCPs 17 are provisionally connected tothe lower glass substrate 11, they are crimped onto the lower glasssubstrate 11 so as to be fixed thereto. At this time, an anisotropicconductive resin 5 melts and uniformly spreads between the TCPs 17 (thesemiconductor chip 4) and the upper surface of the lower glass substrate11. Thus, mounting of the TCPs 17 is completed.

FIG. 7 shows an inner structure of a semiconductor chip 4. As shown inthis figure, each semiconductor chip 4 includes two sets of connectingbumps a through h (corresponding to the input terminal array 8) andwiring 15 on a signal input side. The wiring 15 connects the innermostbumps (h—h) to each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the TCPs 17 are mounted on the lower glasssubstrate 11, the connecting bumps 9 on each semiconductor chip 4electrically connected to the leads 3 are connected to the wiring 12.Thus, the adjacent TCPs 17 each provided with semiconductor chip 4 areconnected to each other. As a result, an input signal can be transmittedbetween the adjacent TCPs 17. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, asignal input from the wiring 12 (not shown in FIG. 6) on the lower glasssubstrate 11 is supplied to the semiconductor chip 4 and the leads 3through the connecting bumps 9 on the semiconductor chip 4. The signalgiven to the leads 3 is supplied to other leads 3 and connecting bumps 9on the same semiconductor chip 4 via the intra-tape carrier wiring 14and supplied to the adjacent TCP 17. In the semiconductor chip 4, thenumber of terminals or the connecting bumps 9 (e.g., 240) in the outputterminal array 7 on the liquid crystal panel 10 side is larger than thatof terminals or the connecting bumps 9 (e.g. 20 to 30) in the inputterminal array 8 on the signal input side. Therefore, two sets ofconnecting bumps 9 (a through h corresponding to the input terminalarray 8) on the signal input side can be used. Furthermore, since thesetwo sets are connected via the intra-tape carrier wiring 14, a signalcan be transmitted to the next semiconductor chip 4.

After mounting of the TCPs 17 is completed, a display diagnostic test isconducted. In the case where a malfunctioning TCP 17 is found, only thatTCP 17 is repaired as follows: the TCP 17 which malfunctions is detachedfrom the glass substrate by heating; the glass substrate is washed witha suitable solvent; and another satisfactory TCP 17 is mounted onto theglass substrate in the same process as described above.

Next, after the display diagnostic test is completed, a bezel 16 isattached as shown in FIG. 6. At this time, a portion of the tapesubstrate 1 made of a film which extends off the glass substrate 11 canbe appropriately bent.

Regarding the liquid crystal display device 50 of Embodiment 2 and aliquid crystal display device produced using the COG method, in whichall the input wiring is replaced by wiring (not shown) on a glasssubstrate, the calculation of input wiring resistance will be describedwith reference to FIG. 8.

Assuming in FIG. 8 that the length of a portion for mounting TCPs 17 ina liquid crystal panel with an 11.3-inch diagonal screen is about 220 mm(i.e., 10 TCPs 17 are arranged on one side of the panel), a length A formounting each TCP 17 becomes about 22 mm. Assuming that a distance Bbetween the outermost bumps of each semiconductor chip 4 is about 17 mm,a length C of the wiring 12 on the lower glass substrate 11 between theadjacent semiconductor chips becomes about 5 mm. As shown in FIG. 8, inthe case of the present embodiment, the outermost bumps, the secondoutermost bumps, . . . , the innermost bumps in one semiconductor chip 4are connected to each other via the intra-tape carrier wiring 14. Alength D of the intra-tape carrier wiring 14 connecting the outermostbumps is about 20 mm per TCP. More specifically, in the case of thepresent embodiment, the total length of the intra-tape carrier wiring 14in all the TCPs provided on one side of the liquid crystal panel 10becomes about 200 mm (20 mm×10), and the total length of the wiring 12on the lower glass substrate 11 becomes about 50 mm (5 mm×10).Furthermore, the bumps 9 are connected to the wiring 12 on the lowerglass substrate 11 with the anisotropic conductive resin 5 at 20 (2×10)positions.

In the case of using the COG method, only the wiring on the lower glasssubstrate is used, and the total length thereof becomes about 220 mm.Furthermore, the connection of the wiring with the anisotropicconductive resin is conducted only once.

Assuming that the intra-tape carrier wiring 14 is made of copper(specific resistance: 1.7×10⁻⁶ Ωcm), the sheet resistance of the wiring12 on the lower glass substrate 11 is about 1 Ω/□, the width of thewiring 12 on the lower glass substrate 11 is about 1 mm, and theconnection resistance of the anisotropic conductive resin 5 is about 0.1Ω/□, the total wiring resistance on one side of the liquid crystal panel10 becomes about 52 Ω in the case of the present embodiment. Incontrast, in the case of using the COG method, the total wiringresistance becomes very high (i.e., about 220 Ω). Accordingly, comparedwith this conventional method, the present embodiment has outstandingeffects for reducing the wiring resistance.

Embodiment 3

The case where adjacent TCPs are connected via metal leads in place ofwiring on a glass substrate will now be described.

FIG. 9A is a plan view of a liquid crystal display device 70 having astructure in which elastic metal leads 23 provided inside a bezel 16(not shown) are used for connecting adjacent TCPs 17 to each other, inplace of a wiring portion on a glass substrate connected to a powersource required to have low resistance in a large liquid crystal panel.FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 9B-9B′ in FIG. 9A.FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 9C-9C′ in FIG. 9A.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a rectangular opening 25 with a side of 1mm, for example, is provided in a film at a portion of input wiring ofthe TCP 17 connected to a power source, whereby connecting points 25′ ofthe portion of the input wiring connected to the power source areexposed. The elastic metal leads 23 which are long enough to connect theexposed connecting points 25′ are provided between the TCPs 17 adjacenteach other in the vertical direction to the drawing surface. Both endsof the metal leads 23 are positioned at the exposed connecting points25′ and bent downward to form projections 23 a. The bezel 16 is placedfrom above the metal leads 23, whereby the projections 23 a areconnected to the connecting points 25′ due to a spring effect thereof.The connecting points 25′ may be provided partially or entirely in aninner lead portion, an outer lead portion, or an intra-tape carrierwiring portion. As shown in FIG. 9C, the end portion of the TCP 17 issupported by a supporter 24 provided on an opposite side of the metalleads 23, when large force is applied to the end portion of the TCP 17.

In the present embodiment, metal leads 23 having smaller resistancesthan wiring printed on a glass substrate are used. Therefore, even inthe case where liquid crystal panels further increase in size, wiringresistance can be prevented from increasing.

As described above, according to the present invention, a printed wiringboard which has been required in the conventional devices can beomitted, and therefore, the related step of mounting of a printed wiringboard can also be omitted. This results in a large decrease inproduction costs. Furthermore, according to the present invention, thewidth of the portion which extends off a glass substrate of a liquidcrystal panel can be shortened by bending a TCP. Even when the TCP isbent, the consequent increase in thickness of the panel is negligiblebecause a printed wiring board is not used. Thus, a liquid crystalmodule can be made smaller, thinner, and lighter.

Various other modifications will be apparent to and can be readily madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spiritof this invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of theclaims appended hereto be limited to the description as set forthherein, but rather that the claims be broadly construed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tape carrier package comprising: a tape carrierincluding an insulation film having a though-hole, a conductor patternformed on the insulating film including leads projecting into thethrough-hole, and inner wiring electrically connected between innerleads projecting into the through-hole; a semiconductor chip provided inthe through-hole, having connecting bumps electrically connected to endportions of the leads; and an anisotropic conductive resin provided soas to cover at least a portion of the semiconductor chip including ajunction of the connecting bumps and the end portions of the leads.
 2. Atape carrier package according to claim 1, wherein the anisotropicconductive resin is made of an insulating resin containing fineparticles having conductivity, and the insulating resin is selected fromthe group consisting of a thermosetting resin, a UV-curing resin, and athermoplastic resin.
 3. A tape carrier package according to claim 1,wherein the semiconductor chip includes intra-chip wiring and at leastone bump for the intra-chip wiring.
 4. A tape carrier package accordingto claim 1, wherein an electronic device different from said conductorchip is mounted on the inner wiring provided on the tape carrier.
 5. Atape carrier package according to claim 1, wherein the anisotropicconductive resin is made of an insulating resin containing fineparticles having conductivity.